Next up, the SGA Prez…

Name, school: Lara Avsar, Barnard College

Claim to fame: Some people know me as the President of Barnard’s Student Government Association. More people know me as the girl that really really loves homecoming.

Where are you going? I still need to graduate so I’m taking a stats class this summer. With or without my diploma, I’m traveling around the world by myself—teaching English to a Bedouin community at a solar powered eco-lodge in Jordan, volunteering at an orphanage in Bali, and spending a month at a Buddhist monastery in Nepal with stops along the way. After the crazy adventure, I’m moving to Turkey to actually find a job. Hit me up if yall wanna visit Istanbul!

Three things you learned at Columbia:

All Columbia students can be convinced that fried possum is a delicacy in Alabama—basically nobody in this part of the country understands the South.

New York is very small and the one person that you don’t want to run into will be in the same subway car, street corner, and restaurant as you. It’s the science of this city…I’m a math major so trust me.

I also learned to think twice before telling the Columbia Spectator something embarrassing. Everything ends up on Google and, yes, all parents Google their children at least once in their lifetime. Again, just trust me.

“Back in my day…” This phrase makes me feel so old…“back in my day” I went to college with 80s babies. The youngins are taking over.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I adore my friends so I’m going to go with their answer: “well…Lara is just…unapologetically Lara.” Also, people call me ‘Mama Lara’ cause I give great pep talks.

Is the War on Fun over? Who won? Any war stories? Columbia has a war on fun, but New York City doesn’t! And in a city that is just so damn fun, Columbia students are always going to win.

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? Well a lot of my friends are lactose intolerant and I’m all about camaraderie…

Advice for the class of 2015: You’re never going to remember the time you spent studying, you will always remember the fun times—so arrange your schedule accordingly. Oh and never be afraid to go with your gut—you might be making up for massive mistakes later on, but at least you won’t regret anything.

Any regrets? See advice above. Oh wait, I regret that Spectator quote from freshman year…